


Predestined Sea

by Lykao



Category: GreedFall (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Arranged Marriage, Eventual Fluff, F/M, Strangers to Lovers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-02
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-13 07:29:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,071
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29149752
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lykao/pseuds/Lykao
Summary: Larke De Sardet knew there was always a chance her uncle would use her as leverage in some arranged marriage. What she hadn't expected was for it to be a contract marriage with the Nauts, leaving her married to a young Captain she'd never met.AU Where the events of the game didn't happen, she is actually the daughter of the Princess, and she's not going to New Serene (at least not yet). I gave her a name because it's going to fit into the story at later points, and I just want her to have an actual first name :)
Relationships: De Sardet & Vasco (GreedFall), De Sardet/Vasco (GreedFall)
Kudos: 7





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> While it is AU, there are some spoiler-ish things that may pop up.

“You are asking me to do WHAT?” Vasco asks, not believing his own ears. _Surely he’s mistaken._

“We wouldn’t ask this of you if we didn’t think it was what is best for the Nauts,” his Admiral says firmly. “I know it’s not ideal. But we are working on the details of the contract.” 

“How would me marrying a noble from the Congregation possibly help the Nauts? And why would a noble family agree to this, they marry their children off to other nobles not us,” he insist as he crosses his arms.

The admiral sighs and lays a draft of the contract on the table. “There are things happening I can’t fully explain to you, but we need someone involved in their politics for our benefit.” 

Vasco narrows his eyes at her as she talks, “Who exactly is this noble that just our marriage would significantly help the Nauts in Congressional politics?”

“Prince d’Orsay’s niece.” 

“What!” Vasco shouts leaping from his seat. “You want me to marry a lass in line for the throne?” 

“She’ll never take the throne,” she dismisses quickly. “The Prince has a son. Sit down.”

“That doesn’t make it any better,” he mutters as he slides back into his seat. “What are we or they getting from this?”

“The idea is she will marry you and become more... sympathetic to us. But long term being your children will be in the high court helping make policies and decisions. They’ve been raised living in the courts and on our ships, with a noble mother and Naut father. We’re also getting better ports, and a better standing on Congregation lands,” she explains. 

“Children? You’re already putting children into this?” 

“Yes. As for what they will receive, better prices on voyages, transporting goods, and priority over the other nations. Both sides are getting good outcomes.” 

“And I’m expected to just leave my ship, marry a noble and live in the courts like a pet?” He scoffs. 

“No, you’ll get married and go back to your ship. You can take her with you if you two wish, or you can just come back and visit her. You will have to make appearances for some events with the both of you and you obviously have to have children, but we’re willing to work your schedule around it all,” she finishes.

He rolls his eyes, “The day the niece of the Prince wants to live on one of our ships under the direction of a Naut Captain is the day I eat my hat.” 

“I’d suggest getting a replacement hat ready then,” she teases. “We’ve of course done research into her. She seems quite fond of the water, much to her uncle’s unhappiness.” 

“So the oddest noble,” he sighs. “Maybe she won’t be awful, but why is it me?”

“The Prince was specific on who she married.” 

“He chose me?”

“Not by name of course. But he wanted a high ranking Naut within five years of his niece that could be composed enough to attend court when need be.”

“Who old is she?” 

“23.”

“I... see,” he mutters. “And I being the youngest Captain at 25 have fallen into this trap.”

“That’s why it’s you Captain Vasco. We regret the need for this, but I do not see it changing the path of your career. If you’re not an admiral by the time you’re my age, I will be very surprised.”

“So when is this happening?” 

“That’s why I had you bring goods to Serene, they are here. We’re meeting with the Prince and his niece in two days.”

“Shit.”

-

“Uncle you can not be serious,” Larke De Sardet insists as she stands across from her uncle. “I can’t marry this man.”

“I am, and you will,” he states firmly, the frown growing on his face.

“I do not even know him!” She all but shouts, adrenaline pumping in her veins. The pit in her stomach growing.

“That’s how most arranged marriage work, you will meet him in two days, and you will marry him within the month and that is final,” the Prince snaps back.

“But uncle!” 

“If you say one more word and force me to leave my seat to deal with you, you shall regret it child,” he growls at her. “You are to meet me in this room at sunrise the day after morrow. Dismissed.”

Nodding obediently, Larke turns on her heel and rushes out the door, the tears prickling at her eyes as she blinks to force them back. 

Her mother and her cousin Constantin stand nearby waiting for her, but she brushes past them without a word heading for the back of the palace. 

She hear’s her cousin shout her name, but she continues on her path until she hits the back door of the palace and takes off into a run. 

She ran until her lungs burned and the sea air raced into her nostrils. Ripping off her fancy dress and kicking off her shoes, she discards them on the beach before she wades out into the water and stares across the open sea at the setting sun.

She’d always loved the ocean since she was a child. She was told her father was an explorer, that he spent his life uncovering the unknown, mapping out places she couldn’t imagine. A part of her had always hoped one day that could be her. 

Looking further down the beach, she spots one of the Naut ships in the far distance and sighs. She didn’t want to marry a man she didn’t know. And knowing her uncle he’d go for the highest ranking person he could, which probably meant a much older man. 

A chill goes up her spine at the thought, and she trudges back to the shore before plopping down to let the dying waves crash against her feet. 

She sits for what feels like ages, until the sun finally settles behind the water and she allows herself to lay back in the sand to look up at the stars. 

They’d always been another interest. All the pictures astronomers and Nauts had painted in the sky. Each with their meaning and story to go with the random combination of stars. There was always something comforting about being under the stars. 

Under the vast open night sky, with the sound of the waves in the background was her one true ‘happy place.’ 

After a short while the sound of footsteps comes from further up the beach, her ears pricking at the sound before a smirk crosses her face as she hears her cousin utter a curse. 

“Fair cousin, don’t try to drown yourself in the sea to escape a man, that’s a terrible plan,” he teases as he too kicks his boots off and sits beside her. 

“Could have fooled me,” she chuckles. “Sounds preferable to the situation I’m currently facing.” 

Constantin sighs heavily and places a hand on her shoulder, “I tried to talk him out of it… it didn’t go well but I tried.” 

Glancing over at her cousin, she notices the evident bruise on his cheek, “Constantin… don’t fight with your father over me. You know he doesn’t change his mind. I love that you want to stand up for me, but you know him.”

“Unfortunately I do,” he agrees. “But I had to try. That a man is going to take away my dear cousin without my approval is a hard fate to accept.” 

“He’s taking me away?” she questions, immediately sitting up to face him. “A Naut is taking me away, I’m going on a ship?”

“I spoke with your mother and apparently she fought with my father over the contract and put her own requirements for the marriage,” he explains. “That father couldn’t marry you off to someone more than 5 years your senior, and that you be allowed to travel with him if you so choose.” 

“My sweet mother,” she sighs with relief. “I still want nothing to do with this… but she made it what she could I suppose.” 

“Auntie is quite distraught over it all,” he admits. “I sat speaking with her after you took off. She hopes this will end up being a good outcome for you, getting you away from the palace and away from my father for awhile.” 

“He’s not an easy man to get along with,” she agrees. 

“He hates me, he just gets annoyed with you,” Constantin adds with a shrug. “I’ll never be good enough, and you’ll always be wrong. I suppose there’s nothing we can do about that.” 

“I suppose,” she says unhappily before looking back up at the sky. 

“Who knows, maybe you’ll fall in love with a handsome Naut Captain and run away to the seas,” he teases her with a smile. 

“Fuck off.” 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vasco and Larke De Sardet meet for the first time.

Vasco sighs and drums his fingers on the table before him, earning a pointed look from his Admiral beside him. Pulling his hand back he glances around the extravagantly decorated meeting room and shifts in his seat. 

He typically kept on top of his own personal hygiene, but he’d been warned enough about the noble expected level of it and felt like he’d nearly scrubbed his skin off to remove all traces of ship life in preparation. While he wasn’t looking forward to this, he wasn’t going to be the reason an opportunity for his family fell through. Even if it meant scrubbing harder than he had in his entire life, tying his hair back tighter than he thought possible, and sitting in a brand-new starched Captain’s uniform. 

As he looks around he catches his reflection in a fancy mirror. It was odd seeing himself so… ‘distinguished,’ particularly the lack of hat, but he had to admit he cleaned up well.

The sound of an angry voice and approaching footsteps snaps his attention to the door across the room. He can hear harsh whispers being exchanged on the other side of it, but he’s only able to make out the word ‘repercussions’ before the sound of a loud smack echoes into the room, and the door swings open to reveal the smiling Prince. 

“Admiral Cabral, Captain Vasco, so glad you could join us today,” he greets them warmly as he steps into the room, reaching back to tug in a young woman behind him. “I’m delighted to present to you my niece, Larke Da Sardet, daughter of Princess d’Orsay.”

“Enchanted to meet you both,” Larke states immediately, with what seems to be a forced smile on her face. 

“Likewise,” the Admiral responds from beside him. “We’ve heard much about you from your uncle.”

“Charmed,” Vasco simply replies, quickly examining her. Hair tied back into a long braid, beautiful blue green eyes, a forced smile, hand clamped over a spot on her arm, and what looks like ink stains on her fingertips.

Her uncle directs her to sit across from him as he sits before the Admiral. As they begin to discuss more details of the contract, Vasco finds himself still gazing at Larke in front of him. 

There definitely was something different about her, not like most nobles he’d come into contact with. She seemed to hold herself in a different way. The way her jaw was set, the look in her eyes. 

With the way she leaned away from the Prince, she was clearly not comfortable around him. Not that he could blame her from what he thought occurred in the hall. Probably what her one hand seemed intent on covering. 

Eventually she seems to have felt his gaze, and meets his eyes, a flush moving up her neck as they do. He gives her a gentle smile, one she slowly returns. 

“Would the two of you like to go for a walk in the palace to get to know one another?” the Prince offers, his voice immediately making them drop their eye contact. 

Vasco clears his throat and looks to the Prince, forcing a smile to his own face, “That would be lovely.” 

“Larke, be a dear and show him around the palace,” the Prince states, looking to his niece. “We will cover the rest of these details without you. Nothing inappropriate from either of you.”

“I’d be delighted uncle,” she responds, immediately standing up from her seat. 

Vasco follows suit, and walks out from behind the table and offers his arm to her. She accepts it after a moment and they walk through the door. 

After they hear the sound of the door shutting behind them, Vasco exhales deeply. “Stuffy as shit in there.”

Larke immediately laughs, but quickly brings her free hand up to cover her mouth and stop her laughter, “I apologize sir. That wasn’t appropriate of me.”

“Laughter isn’t appropriate in the royal palace?” Vasco asks. “This place is more dire than I thought.”

Grinning at him she shakes her head wistfully. “Not when in earshot of the Prince or his dignitaries at least,” she whispers. 

“Then let us get out of earshot of them shall we?” He asks. 

She nods and leads him down another fancy hallway full of statues and paintings of the Prince himself.

“And nothing inappropriate,” Vasco chides. “As if I’m idiot enough to ask the Prince’s niece to show me the royal broom closet to paw at each other. I want to live to at least tomorrow.”

She chuckles at that but once again goes silent as they reach the end of the hall to a large window overlooking the garden.

“From the look of you, you aren’t usually this... subdued,” he mentions after a few moments.

She sighs heavily at that and responds back quietly, “This is important to my uncle. And if I do something to ruin it I will suffer. Typically I don’t spend much time under his thumb, my cousin, his son tends to be there while I live my own life in the background.”

“I can tell by your arm,” he says gently, his gaze flickering to the angry red handprint she’d previously covered with her hand.

She curses quietly under her breath and reaches up to cover it once again, “It would be good to forget you’ve seen that for these negotiations.”

“I understand,” he nods sadly. “From what I heard, you don’t want to marry me?”

“It’s not that... it’s just... I don’t know you yet,” Larke admits. “You dream of growing up, falling in love, and marrying that person. Then when you’re forced into something else...”

“You are a noble.”

“I know. My life is decided for me,” she smiles forcefully once again. “It’s the life I have.” 

“What else did you dream about?”

Letting go of his arm, she places her hands on the window sill and stares out at the sky, “I’d run to the shore whenever I could as a child. Still do when I can get away with it. Especially at night. Staring up at the stars or out at the sea. I dreamed of exploring beyond this shore. Getting far away from all this and just… being who I wish to be. Silly dreams I suppose for who I’m supposed to be.” 

“I don’t think they’re silly,” he comments, leaning forward to also place his hands on the window sill, their shoulders just barely touching. “Freedom of the sea isn’t silly.”

“I guess that’s your life though right?” She asks. “Sailing beyond the horizon to new places.”

“ _‘Beyond the sea, beyond the sea, the swallow wanders fast and free. Oh happy bird, were I like thee, I, too, would fly beyond the sea,’_ ” he recites as he watches the garden staff below them. 

Larke looks over to him with a mixed expression of surprise and interest, “A poem?”

“I- yes,” he admits with a nervous cough. “I like to read out at sea. Poetry is… I suppose beautiful is the best way to say it. Peaceful. I am not the most gifted at words, I appreciate what it does.”

“ _‘Yet when I heard your name the first far time, it seemed like other names to me, and I was all unconscious, as a dreaming river that nears at last its long predestined sea,’_ ” she says after a moment. 

His eyes widen at her words, he can feel a warm heat working its way up his cheeks as he looks at her, his mouth agape.

“I- I mean, it was the first poem of the sea that came to mind,” she stammers as an explanation. “I enjoy poetry as well.” 

He clears his throat and pushes off the window still before extending his arm out to her again. She immediately accepts it but remains silent as they walk. “Contract not yet signed, and you are already trying to woo me with love poems of the sea, little bird?”

“I was not!” She objects, a flush going across her cheeks as she leans into him. “And little bird?”

“Your name is Larke is it not?” He asks as he glances down at her. 

“It is.” 

“A lark is a bird?” 

“It is.”

“You are smaller than I am?”

“I am.”

“Little bird,” he concludes, his other hand reaching over to brush a stray hair from her face. “I quite like it.” 

“I… So do you fight Vasco?” she asks, rapidly changing the subject.

“Fight? Of course I can fight.”

“Are you up for a duel?” She asks, tugging his arm to lead him into her sparring room, indicating at the barrel of wooden swords.

“We’re to be getting to know one another for marriage, and you wish to spar?” He grins and lets go of her arm to pull one out. 

“I think I’ll learn quite a lot from this actually,” she teases.

“I suppose I will too, if you last more than two seconds lass.”

“I have trained Captain Vasco,” she informs him as she pulls her own sword out and twists it in her hands. 

“Aye, you’ve trained but have you used the skills outside of these walls?”

“Not as much as I’d have liked,” she admits before rushing him, barely giving him enough time to throw his sword up to block her. 

He raises a brow before taking a swipe at her himself, which she quickly parries and swings at his feet. He jumps out of the way of it easily but immediately has to parry another back at her. 

They go blow for blow, parry for parry for what seems like an eternity before Larke commits too far to one side, and he kicks her feet out from under her. Kneeling down he places the wooden sword to her throat with a grin, “Do you yield lass?” 

He can see practically she her brain trying to figure a way out, her eyes flickering to different parts of his body before finally sighing and admitting defeat. “You have won Captain Vasco.” 

“One of the best duels I’ve had in a long time,” he admits as he steps back and offers her a hand to pull her up. As she climbs back to her feet, they’re interrupted by the sound of the training room door slamming open.

“Larke De Sardet! Come, now,” the Prince hisses, a look of panic crossing Larke’s face before she looks down and crosses the floor to him. 

Vasco momentarily curses himself, realizing the state she’s in. Braid falling apart, her clothes wrinkled and dirty from the training room floor. He’s certain he isn’t in much of a better state if the hair now in his vision was anything to go by. 

Standing back, he brushes off what he can off his own clothes, and reaches up to pull the tie from his hair and quickly fix it to the best of his ability as he listens to whispered angry words coming from the Prince. 

When he noticed the man grab her wrist, he decides to intervene, stepping up next to them, “I have very much enjoyed my time getting to know Lady De Sardet, She kindly showed me her prowess in dueling and I was much impressed. When you’re traveling the seas going from port to port you never know when those type of skills will be necessary.”

Prince d’Orsay quickly lets go of her wrist and smiles, “Only the best from the royal family of course. She has been trained by an elite captain of the guard as her swords-master since she was a child.”

Vasco nods approvingly, his eyes glancing over at her rubbing her wrist, “It shows, she’s very skilled.” 

“It is fortunate this time proved fruitful then.” 

“Indeed. Has the the wedding date been discussed?” he asks as the Admiral looks into the room. 

“It has!” The Prince announces happily. “We are discussing six months from now once you return from running goods to our city New Serene.”

“Yes of course.” 

“Let us go formalize the the contract while Lady De Sardet goes to clean up and attends her lessons,” the Prince comments shuffling Vasco toward the door. 

“She is not needed for the formalities?” he questions.

“My niece has graciously already stated what I decide is what she shall do,” the Prince states, looking toward Larke. “Correct my niece?” 

“Yes sir, you would only choose the best for the Congregation and the family,” she says simply and coldly, all traces of the person he’d spent the last hour with gone. 

“Then I’ll say goodbye to you now,” Vasco says, pulling away from the Prince and lifting Larke’s hand in his own. “I will be at the port until we set sail for New Serene, if you have need of me before then find me there. If not, I will see you when I return.” He lifts her hand to his lips and presses a kiss to it, sending her a quick wink and soft smile.

She returns his smile and bows her head to him before ducking out of the room. 

“Now then, we can finish this business up,” The Prince says as he leads the Admiral and Vasco out and toward the room they met in.

-

“Green-blood!” a voice she knows all too well shouts to Larke as she hurries off. Sighing heavily, she turns on her heel to see Kurt leaning against a wall with his arms crossed.

“Yes Kurt?”

“Good try, but you still lost,” he comments.

“I- you saw that?” she stutters. 

“Of course, I hear swords clashing in the training room I’m gonna look, didn’t expect to see you in there fighting with a Naut I gotta say,” he explains, giving her a questioning look. “The Prince said you’d be late for your lesson, so I was surprised you were in there at all.” 

“My uncle is arranging a marriage between myself and the Naut Captain,” she explains, crossing her own arms. “I was meeting him today. It turned into a duel, and you saw the rest I suppose.” 

“Meeting your future husband and you challenge him to a duel,” Kurt laughs and pushes himself off the wall. “I’ve certainly trained you to fight, but it sounds like your etiquette teacher went soft on you.” 

“He said he showed him a lot about me,” she insists, a pout forming on his face.

“I’m sure it did green-blood, I’m sure it did,” he teases. “Now get your behind upstairs to change into proper training clothes and meet me back in the training room. 

Opening her mouth to protest, Kurt holds up a hand to stop her, “You’re the one that just lost a duel right in front of me, makes me look bad as a swords-master. You have to run through drills again De Sardet.”

Sighing, she looks up at him, “You know you can just call me Larke right? You’ve known me long enough.”

“I’m your swords-master and bodyguard, not your friend. I’m not going to refer to you in a familiar way like that,” he says simply.

“Yeah sure, not my friend,” she rolls her eyes at him. “Keep telling yourself that.”

“How you see me is your own business,” he insists. 

Reaching out to pat his arm she chuckles, “I know you’re about to put me through several terrible drills, but just accept that you are a friend to me. I don’t have many, but you are amongst them.” 

“I… go get changed Larke, you have double drills now,” he responds, shaking his head with the hint of a smile on his lips. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poem that Vasco quotes : Beyond The Sea By Thomas Love Peacock  
> Poem that De Sardet quotes: From The Sea by Sara Teasdale


End file.
